March 9, 2023 - The actor, who has long circled—and occasionally been encircled by—the New York art world, talks about work, life, and being trapped in a penthouse with a billion dollars’ worth of paintings.

Earning raves out of Toronto for his turn as a Hunter S. Thompson stand-in in Gonzo Girl, Dafoe predicts a Hollywood “collapse” if the strikes aren’t resolved soon, in a sit-down with Vanity Fair. ... The actor breaks down highlights from his four-decade career, including The Lighthouse and Spider-Man: No Way Home. ... The actor, who has long circled—and occasionally been encircled by—the New York art world, talks about work, life, and being trapped in a penthouse with a billion dollars’ worth of paintings. ... Tom Brady retirement rumors, Willem Dafoe with a soul patch, Katy Perry backup dancers dressed as mushrooms—Saturday Night Live had something for everyone!

September 11, 2023 - Earning raves out of Toronto for his turn as a Hunter S. Thompson stand-in in ‘Gonzo Girl,’ Dafoe predicts a Hollywood ‘collapse’ if the strikes aren’t resolved soon, in a sit-down with Vanity Fair.

November 10, 2023 - The four-time Oscar nominee is back in the conversation for his surprisingly moving turn as Poor Things’ mad scientist. He pulled it off by living in Yorgos Lanthimos’s world, starting with a 3 a.m. call time.

January 14, 2020 - Willem Dafoe: You try not to have favorites, but Last Temptation of Christ was a wonderful project. A lot was demanded of me, and I work best when a lot is demanded of me. I got a call that Martin Scorsese wanted to talk to me.

March 20, 2023 - Over the span of his four-decade career in Hollywood, Willem Dafoe has dabbled in every genre under the sun, from the vigilante action of 1999’s The Boondock Saints to some of his more recent Oscar-nominated dramatic performances in The Florida Project and At Eternity’s Gate. While discussing his filmography with Vanity Fair, Dafoe explained why it’s vital that actors approach all of their work—from biopics to comic book films—with the same amount of passion.

November 16, 2018 - Fast-forward 43 years and three Oscar nominations (Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, and The Florida Project), and Dafoe had the opportunity to channel Vincent van Gogh, “the poster boy for the tortured artist,” in Julian Schnabel’s biopic At Eternity’s Gate, out in theaters Friday.

November 8, 2019 - The 23-year-old is best known for ... was anything but conventional. Sink talks to Vanity Fair about final bows, pulling a unique kind of all-nighter, and not letting spoilers slip....

February 2, 2018 - The Florida Project star joins the Little Gold Men podcast to talk about improvising with birds, and what he’ll do that Daniel Day-Lewis probably wouldn’t.

November 16, 2017 - “I liked the script and the fact that Sean is an adventurous filmmaker,” Dafoe told Vanity Fair, referring to Baker’s hybrid filmmaking style—which involves unconventional casting (several of the The Florida Project’s cast members had never before acted), dropping actors into a real-life setting, and asking them to interact authentically with those around them.

January 30, 2020 - And in true Schrader fashion, the plot sounds wildly high concept and instantly alluring. In an interview with Metrograph Edition, the Oscar-nominated writer-director revealed his next film has a stacked cast—Tiffany Haddish, Willem Dafoe, and Oscar Isaac—and will revolve around “the world series of poker and Abu Ghraib.”

December 19, 2024 - Dafoe at least seems to be enjoying himself, though there’s perhaps something too expected about his casting; I worry that too many directors these days only want him to do the ol’ Willem Dafoe drag rather than giving this great actor something genuinely juicy to play.

Vanity Fair: YouTube Channel (TV Series 2007– ) - Willem Dafoe as Self

November 14, 2018 - He cast Willem Dafoe to play van Gogh—a curious decision, given that Dafoe is 26 years older than van Gogh was when he died. This is an art film, one might say, so what does age really matter?

July 1, 2014 - Contributors Vanity Fair Archive · VF.com · Sign In · Subscribe · Proust Questionnaire · July 2014 · Subscribe · View Article Pages · Proust Questionnaire · Willem DAFOE July 2014 · Subscribe to read this articleAlready a subscriber? Sign in · View Full Issue ·

June 24, 2014 - The Oscar-nominated actor answers our signature interrogative.

September 12, 2025 - Latif: It felt interesting to put Corey through this intense marathon of a role, and then to take Willem Dafoe, the world’s most physical actor, and take away that power.